Hematopoietic system are major contributors in fetal immune development. The liver is the primary site of[unreadable] hematopoiesis in the rodent fetus. Histologically, it has been established that liver cells of hematopoietic[unreadable] origin disappear within 2 weeks after birth. The life span of these cells is regulated by many factors critical in[unreadable] the viability and function of these cells. Apoptosis (programmed cell death) occurs during embryonic[unreadable] development as well as in maintenance of tissue homeostasis. The role of and importance of apoptosis for the[unreadable] development and function of lymphoid cells has been extensively investigated, however less clear is the role[unreadable] apoptosis plays in regulating early progenitor and stem cells of hematopoietic origin in the liver. Ethanol and[unreadable] its metabolites produce specific fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)-related malformations, including cell death.[unreadable] There is evidence that ethanol consumption causes immunodeficiencies in adults and that maternal ethanol[unreadable] consumption causes immunodeficiencies in children, both with correlative effects on cells and cytokine[unreadable] regulators. Very limited data exists characterizing the effect of maternal ethanol consumption of fetal liver[unreadable] hematopoietic cells, cytokine regulators and adhesion molecules. It is hypothesized in this study that[unreadable] maternal alcohol consumption alters the normal hematopoietic process that occurs in fetal liver during[unreadable] gestation, and thus its ability to seed the immune system is impaired.[unreadable] We propose to study the female rat liver for apoptosis utilizing 7-amino-actinomycin D (7-AAD) with[unreadable] Annexin V- Phycoerythrin. Apoptotic gene expression will be done to evaluate the mRNA levels of[unreadable] significant molecules participating in the induction and suppression of apoptosis. The Specific Aims of this[unreadable] project are: 1. To evaluate the effects of maternal alcohol consumption on normal hematopoietic cell[unreadable] development in the fetal liver. 2. To evaluate the effects of maternal alcohol consumption on specific[unreadable] cytokine, growth factor and/or adhesion molecule expression patterns in hematopoietic or stromal cells[unreadable] in the fetal liver. 3. To evaluate the effect of maternal alcohol consumption on the rate of apoptosis of[unreadable] hematopoietic cells.